Cicada 3301

The mystery of this "group" has been along for a long time now. I am sure there are some on here that knows about it, and maybe even participated in
uncovering the cryptic clues and puzzles they have created.

For those who do not know who or what this is, here is a
LINK to what transpired so far.

I am eagerly awaiting January to see if these mysterious clues will continue, and where it will lead.

its not a secret society, its just one of those games that people meet up in real life to figure out puzzles the publisher puts out, kind of like what
googles Ingress game. Augmented Reality Games they are called. I thought it was something odd at first too but that is all it is.

The ARG aspect of it is a possibility, yet, I do not think so. It is way to complex. Yes, I know Microsoft but out an ARG game a few years back, think
with the launch of Halo 2. However, this is in another league. Involving very complex cryptic analyzers, Tor, Darknet, some truely bizarre things. The
quotes from obscure works from Crowley et all, further makes this more interesting.

The stated intent was to recruit "intelligent individuals" by presenting a series of puzzles which were to be solved, each in order, to find the
next. The puzzles focused heavily on data security, cryptography, and steganography.[1][2][3]

Much speculation exists as to its purpose. Some claim it is an Alternate Reality Game (ARG), but the fact that no company or individual has taken
credit or tried to monetize the puzzles has led some to feel that it is not. Some have speculated that it is a recruitment tool for the NSA, CIA, or
MI6.[3][1]
--
The ultimate outcome of both rounds of Cicada 3301 recruiting is still a mystery. The final known puzzles became both highly complex and
individualized as the game unfolded, though at least one person has claimed to have "won", but verification from the creator(s) of the game was never
made and the individuals making the claim have not been forthcoming with information.[3]

Whats funny is remember Horse.ebooks was doing the same thing, and turned out to be just an ARG game. The reason why they make it so hard to figure
out the puzzles is cause they don't want the play base to be intellectual. Why? I have no clue, but this is there marketing scheme.

They started with their puzzles in early 2012, it's highly unlikely that such a scheme wouldn't have been revealed by now. Plus they outright state
that the purpose is to recruit intelligent individuals. It couldn't get any more obvious.

I agree mate. This is not just a game. The complexity of this is beyond the scope of normal internet users. Its been suggested it might be a Cia or
Nsa recruitment drive. Yet, that I also find impossible. I certainly think this is some organization recruiting elite people for some purpose. ARG is
normally not this complicated, so that a huge audience can participate. This Cicada organization makes it very very difficult for the normal person to
even get started in this "challenge".

Exactly, but for what purpose? I cannot see this as just another ARG. There has been unconfirmed leaks of people thats part of this organization. If
its legit or not, no one knows. I have a feeling this mystery will still continue for some time, and to be honest, I do not think there will ever be a
solution.

Well the most obvious answer would be that they are some type of elitist hacking group, hence why the Wikipedia page has a part about alleged illegal
activities of the group. But I really don't know for sure, I guess there is a small chance that it's some sort of "legit" government organization.

Hey there, just wanted to let You know that there is a new set of puzzles from the cicada. Started a few days ago. If somebody is interested you can
catch up on the already solved parts and everything else on HERE .

I just found about it a few minutes ago myself, but since I am dead tired and it is 3 am here I guess I have to leave it untill tomorrow . If somebody
wants to give it a try, good luck

It is the third year running that the mysterious Cicada 3301 has appeared, with no clues as to who is behind the puzzle. Some believe it is a
recruitment process for a government spy agency, while others believe it could be the work of a bank.

Does anyone have a direct link to the puzzle? I'm a computer science and mathematics buff and a total crypto junkie...I'd like to take a whack at
this. So far all I've found was random hash/MD5 codes posted on their twitter feed, along with this image:

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